How to Successfully Return to School After Break!

Returning to school after an extended break can be tough on students AND teachers.  After a few weeks of relaxing and eating lots of holiday goodies, the prospect of diving back into the routine of studying can be hard to take. Here are some pointers to help students ease back into the school routine...

 

1. It is important to show care and concern for what students accomplished with their friends and family over the break.  It builds child/adult connection and gives you feedback on activities and topics that interest the students in the classroom.  Use this information to connect curricular material to the students' and/or your own experiences.  By connecting students' interests and experiences to what is being taught inside of the classroom, students are motivated to learn and an exciting ambiance is created in the learning environment!

 

2. Teachers usually spend the first few days getting back to speed with whatever students were looking at before Christmas, and giving feedback on any work submitted prior to the break.  During this time, students should set short term goals when learning new material throughout the first month of the new year.  These goals can focus on accomplishing a new task or be a challenge to beat a record for a well-known task.  As a SAGE volunteer, you could assist classroom teachers in gearing their students for accomplishment of these short term goals to start 2014 on a successful path!  Then you can be a part of celebrating their short-term goals with some small rewards!

 

3. Last but not least, be sure to establish a schedule and keep with this schedule so that students can ease back into a routine.  When families are home over the holidays, their schedules usually vary from non-holiday months.  Sleep patterns change and meals are eaten at different times during the holidays, so in order to succeed within school after the holidays, a schedule must be established to set normality for students and families.

 

These are just three ways to help students go back to school after the holiday break!  Happy 2014!  :)